Chapter 1: Eyes That Have Died Twice
The morning sun rose over Celestial Spring Sect, painting the rice terraces gold.
Wei Xiaofeng stood at the eastern overlook, watching three hundred disciples practice their morning forms. Their movements synchronized like a flock of birds, flowing through the Spring River Sword Art with the grace that had made their sect famous across the Azure Peak Region.
Beautiful, probably.
He remembered thinking so, once.
Now he observed them with the clinical interest of someone counting inventory. Three hundred disciples. Seventy-two Inner Disciples among them. Fifteen Core Disciples. All alive, unaware that in another timeline—the real timeline—they had three years left before burning to death.
Wei's hand drifted to his left shoulder blade, tracing the scar where the First Star had been.
Second loop, he reminded himself. Keep track. Don't lose count.
The first loop had ended badly. He'd discovered the conspiracy too late, trusted the wrong people, died with Lian Yuehua's name on his lips as the sect burned. Desperation had driven him to the Forbidden Archive, to the jade slip that promised salvation.
The Stellar Regression Technique.
Seven stars. Seven chances to fix everything.
He'd cut the First Star and woken up three years, four months, and seven days in the past. Same body, same cultivation level, same sect. But with three years of future knowledge burning in his mind.
And something missing.
Something he hadn't noticed until two weeks into the second loop, when his martial brother Chen had cracked a joke and everyone had laughed and Wei had smiled but felt nothing. No warmth. No amusement. Just the mechanical stretching of facial muscles.
That's when he'd realized: the technique had taken something.
Joy, maybe. Or hope. Hard to say precisely. The emotion had simply... evaporated. Like morning dew under sunlight.
He could remember what joy felt like—the same way someone might remember a taste from childhood. The memory was intact. The sensation was gone.
"Senior Brother Wei!"
Wei turned, already knowing who it would be. He'd lived this conversation before.
Lian Yuehua climbed the overlook steps, slightly out of breath. Nineteen years old, Foundation Establishment 4th stage, specializing in healing arts. In the first loop, she'd confessed her feelings in two weeks. Had died three days after that when the sect fell.
This time would be different.
"Junior Sister Lian," Wei said, injecting warmth into his voice. Not feeling it, but performing it. He'd spent hours practicing this. Memorizing the facial expressions, the vocal inflections, the body language of affection he no longer felt.
She smiled. That same radiant smile that should have made his heart race.
It didn't.
But his face smiled back anyway, following the protocol.
"You're up early," she said, coming to stand beside him. Close enough that her sleeve brushed his. An unconscious intimacy that in the first loop had thrilled him.
Now it registered as: Physical proximity. Potential romantic interest. Useful for maintaining alliance.
"Couldn't sleep," Wei replied. True enough. Sleep had become strange since the First Star. He still needed it physically, but it no longer brought rest. Just... absence.
"You've seemed different lately," Lian Yuehua observed, concern in her eyes. "Distant. Is something troubling you?"
Yes, he thought. I've died once. I've cut away part of my humanity. I'm following a checklist to fake emotions I no longer possess. And in three years, everyone here will burn if I fail.
"Just meditating on a breakthrough," he said aloud, the prepared excuse rolling smoothly off his tongue. "You know how consuming that can be."
She relaxed. "Of course! I shouldn't disturb your cultivation."
"Never a disturbance," Wei said, because his notes indicated this response would seem warm and welcoming.
She blushed.
Positive response, Wei catalogued. Affection confirmed. Proceed according to relationship maintenance protocol.
He reached out, gently touching her shoulder. The gesture his notes said would seem caring.
Her blush deepened.
Effective, he noted.
"Actually," Lian Yuehua said, "I wanted to ask... the Outer Disciple tournament is next month. Will you be attending?"
Wei's mind raced through his memories of the first loop. The tournament. Right. Chen had won, caught the eye of Elder Feng, been promoted to Inner Disciple early. Three months later, Elder Feng had been one of the first replaced by Shen Qiu's Silkworm Soul Technique.
Chen had trusted Elder Feng completely. Had died because of it.
"I'll be there," Wei said. "Will you be competing?"
"Healers don't usually..." She hesitated. "But I've been practicing the Purification Mantra. Master said I have an affinity for cleansing techniques."
Wei's attention sharpened.
Purification techniques.
In the first loop, he'd discovered—too late—that Shen Qiu's Silkworm Soul Technique left trace contamination in the victim's spiritual energy. Nearly undetectable, but theoretically visible to someone with the right skills.
Someone like Lian Yuehua.
"You should compete," Wei said, making the calculation instantly. "Demonstrate your abilities. It would be good experience."
And it would give him an excuse to direct her training toward detection methods.
She lit up. "You really think so?"
"I do." He smiled. The expression felt like stretching old leather, but it looked genuine. He'd practiced in the mirror.
"Then I will!" She paused, then added shyly, "Maybe... if you're not too busy with your breakthrough... you could help me prepare?"
Perfect.
"I'd be honored," Wei said.
She beamed and excused herself, practically floating down the steps.
Wei watched her go.
In the first loop, he would have treasured this moment. The girl he loved, happy because of something he'd said. It would have felt like sunlight.
Now it felt like moving chess pieces into position.
Useful. Strategic. Empty.
He turned back to the overlook, watching the morning practice continue.
That's when he noticed the old man.
Down in Clearwater Village at the mountain's base, an elderly fisherman sat by the river. Just a mortal, no cultivation, unremarkable in every way.
Except he was staring directly at Wei.
Their eyes met across the distance.
The fisherman's gaze lingered a moment too long. Something in those weathered eyes suggested he saw more than he should.
Wei frowned and looked away, dismissing it.
Probably nothing.
He had more important concerns.
***
Three hours later, Wei knelt in his personal cultivation chamber, supposedly meditating. Actually planning.
Three years, four months, seven days until the sect burned.
In that time, Shen Qiu would:
- Replace twelve elders
- Convert forty-seven Inner Disciples
- Suborn the Enforcement Hall
- Compromise the defensive formations
- Cocoon the Sect Master
All of it slow, patient, invisible. Shen Qiu had waited twenty years for his revenge. He wouldn't rush now.
But Wei knew the pattern. Knew who would be replaced first. Knew which formations would fail.
He'd failed in the first loop because he'd tried to save everyone. Trusted the wrong people. Been too honest, too desperate, too loud.
This time: subtlety. Precision. Surgical intervention.
And if some people had to die to save the majority?
Wei searched for the guilt that should accompany that thought.
Found nothing.
Good, he thought. Guilt is a luxury I can't afford.
A knock at the door interrupted his planning.
"Enter."
His martial brother, Chen Feng, stepped in. Early Foundation Establishment, talented with the sword, genuinely kind person. Would die in two years, eight months if Wei didn't intervene.
"Xiaofeng!" Chen grinned. "You missed lunch. I brought you something."
He offered a rice ball.
Wei took it, performed gratitude. "Thank you, brother."
"You've really been pushing yourself lately." Chen sat uninvited, the easy familiarity of someone who'd known Wei since they were both Outer Disciples. "The elders are noticing. Elder Feng mentioned you might be ready for Core Disciple trials soon."
Elder Feng.
First to be replaced. Would happen in six weeks.
Wei needed to decide: save Elder Feng? Or let him be replaced and use it as a test case to understand Shen Qiu's technique better?
The cold calculation came easily.
Let him be replaced. I need to study the process. One elder's sacrifice for greater knowledge.
"That's encouraging," Wei said aloud, biting into the rice ball. It tasted like nothing. Food had lost its savor along with joy.
But he chewed and swallowed anyway. The body needed fuel.
"You know," Chen said, lowering his voice, "I heard a rumor. Someone broke into the Forbidden Archive two weeks ago."
Wei's hand stilled halfway to his mouth.
"Really?" he said carefully.
"Yeah. Nothing was taken—or at least, nothing they've admitted missing. But the wards were definitely triggered." Chen leaned closer. "Think it could be a demonic cultivator? An infiltrator?"
Yes, Wei thought. Me.
"Could be," he said aloud. "The elders will investigate, I'm sure."
"I hope so. Can't be too careful." Chen stood, stretching. "Anyway, don't cultivate yourself to death. You're already making the rest of us look bad."
He left, still grinning.
Wei sat alone, processing.
The break-in was noticed. Faster than in his calculations.
First variable change, he noted. Account for increased security. Adjust timeline.
The Forbidden Archive had contained information he needed—locations of resources, details of forbidden techniques, historical records. He'd studied the Stellar Regression Technique jade slip there.
Now that option was closed.
Adapt,he told himself. You have three years of future knowledge. Use it.
He pulled out a small notebook—something he'd started keeping this loop. In it, he'd written:
Protocol for Emotional Absence:
When someone does something kind: Smile. Say "thank you." Maintain eye contact for 2-3 seconds.
When someone is sad: Furrow brow slightly. Lower voice. Ask "are you alright?" Touch shoulder gently.
When someone jokes: Laugh. Not too loud. Brief. Follow others' timing.
When someone confesses feelings: Smile warmly. Touch their hand. Say something meaningful about their qualities.
A manual for faking humanity.
It worked surprisingly well.
People saw what they expected to see. Performed emotions were indistinguishable from real ones to outside observers.
Only Wei knew the difference.
Only Wei felt the hollow space where reactions should originate.
He added a new note:
Investigation into Archive break-in ongoing. Avoid suspicion. Increase social interactions to appear normal. Perhaps volunteer for sect duties?
A knock at the door again.
"It's open," Wei called.
This time, an Outer Disciple. Young, nervous. "Senior Brother Wei? Elder Shen requests your presence in the Mission Hall."
Elder Shen.
Wei's mind went perfectly still.
Not Shen Qiu. That would be too obvious.
But...
Elder Shen Bai. Administrative elder. Boring, bureaucratic, overlooked by everyone.
In the first loop, Wei had barely noticed him.
What if I was wrong about who Shen Qiu replaced first?
"Tell Elder Shen I'll be there shortly," Wei said calmly.
The Outer Disciple bowed and left.
Wei stood, his mind racing through possibilities.
Could Shen Qiu already be in the sect? Earlier than expected?
Or was this paranoia?
Only one way to find out.
He straightened his robes, checked that his sword was properly secured, and headed for the Mission Hall.
Time to see if his future knowledge was as useful as he'd hoped.
Or if the butterfly effect had already begun eating his predictions.
***
The Mission Hall stood at the sect's western edge, a practical building where disciples received assignments. Elder Shen Bai managed it with meticulous efficiency.
Wei found him at his desk, surrounded by neat stacks of scrolls.
"Ah, Wei Xiaofeng." Elder Shen looked up, smiling. A bureaucrat's smile—professional, measured. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
"Of course, Elder. How may this disciple serve?"
Elder Shen gestured to a chair. "Please, sit. I have an unusual request."
Wei sat, studying the elder carefully.
No obvious signs of possession. Spiritual energy felt normal. Behavior matched what Wei remembered.
But Shen Qiu's technique was nearly undetectable.
"The Outer Disciples have reported strange occurrences in the eastern forest," Elder Shen began. "Spiritual beasts behaving oddly. Unusual energy fluctuations. Nothing dangerous, but... peculiar."
"You'd like me to investigate?"
"If you're willing. I know you're focused on your cultivation, but..." Elder Shen's smile widened slightly. "Your recent progress suggests you're ready for more challenging assignments. Consider it preparation for the Core Disciple trials."
Wei's mind worked through the angles.
This hadn't happened in the first loop.
Was it because he'd changed things already? Stolen resources from the eastern forest two weeks ago?
Butterfly effect.
Or was Elder Shen already compromised, sending Wei into a trap?
"I would be honored," Wei said, buying time to think.
"Excellent. You may take two other disciples if you wish. I'll expect your report in three days."
Wei bowed and left.
Outside, he stopped in the courtyard, weighing options.
Trap or opportunity?
In the first loop, he would have agonized over this. Worried. Feared making the wrong choice.
Now?
If it's a trap, I'll spring it and learn Shen Qiu's capabilities. If it's legitimate, I'll investigate and adapt my timeline. Either way, information gained.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Just calculation.
He headed for the training grounds to recruit assistance.
And below, in the village, the old fisherman watched him go with eyes that had seen too much.